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Happy Endings (TV series)
|last_aired = |related = Happy Endings: Happy Rides Marry Me |website = |website_title = |production_website = }} Happy Endings is an American sitcom television series that ran on ABC from April 13, 2011, to May 3, 2013. The single-camera ensemble comedy originally aired as a mid-season replacement with a one-hour premiere of two back-to-back episodes starting at 9:30 pm ET/PT. In the weeks that followed, the show continued to air back-to-back episodes that began airing at 10 pm ET/PT. The show was created by David Caspe, who along with Jonathan Groff (previously a showrunner on Scrubs) served as the show's executive producers and showrunners. On May 10, 2013, Happy Endings was canceled by ABC after three seasons. ABC's erratic scheduling of the third season, perhaps causing the season's lower ratings and subsequent cancellation, was called one of the "worst TV decisions" of the 2012–13 television season by the pop-culture website Vulture. Plot Happy Endings follows the dysfunctional adventures of six best friends living in Chicago: "crazy-in-love" married couple, businessman overachiever Brad (Damon Wayans, Jr.) and his neurotic perfectionist wife Jane (Eliza Coupe); ditzy Alex (Elisha Cuthbert), a happy-go-lucky boutique owner and Jane's younger sister; daydreamer Dave (Zachary Knighton), an aspiring restaurateur and food truck owner who used to be engaged to Alex; slacker manchild Max (Adam Pally), who struggles with trying to hold a job and maintaining a consistent relationship; and serial dating single girl Penny (Casey Wilson), who fears she is forever doomed for spinsterhood and on an eternal search for Mr. Right. The series first begins with the six friends dealing with their group dynamic drastically changing after the breakup of the couple that first brought them all together: Dave and Alex. This leaves the rest of the group (Max, Brad, Jane, and Penny) in the awkward position of either trying to stay together as friends or having to choose sides. Dave and Alex decide to stay friends, but there are many more complications down the road. While the initial "complications following Alex and Dave's breakup" premise was the focal point in the earlier episodes, this premise was mostly abandoned as the series went on, as the focus became more about the group dynamic of six best friends, in a similar vein of "friends hanging out" ensemble comedies like Friends and How I Met Your Mother. Typically, each episode featured two plot lines, in which varying combinations of the six characters find themselves involved. Cast and characters Main * Eliza Coupe as Jane Kerkovich-Williams – Alex's control freak older sister. She is married to Brad and wanted to start a family and live a "perfect suburban life", prior to being freaked out over Alex and Dave's break-up. She is very competitive and always likes to be in charge of everything. She is a perfectionist by nature and currently serves as head of the home owners association. Despite her Type-A attitude, Jane had a wild past in college, most notably going through a lesbian phase and donating an egg her freshman year so she could go to Cabo San Lucas and party. She and Brad are very affectionate in public, which often makes their friends uncomfortable. In season three, she takes a job working as a car salesperson, after dealership owner "The Car Czar" (Rob Corddry) is impressed with her negotiating skills. * Elisha Cuthbert as Alexandra "Alex" Kerkovich – Jane's ditzy younger sister and Dave's ex-fiancée who left him at the altar on the day of their wedding. Alex is the youngest in the group of friends. Despite her reasons for originally calling off the wedding, Alex still feels very guilty about it. She enjoys going on double dates and "girls nights out" with her best friend Penny. She runs her own women's clothing boutique called Xela ("Alex" backwards, pronounced "Shay-la") in downtown Chicago. Though the shop occasionally experiences sudden upswings in popularity, she usually has no actual customers. As the group's token dimwit, she often gets lost or confused during many of the gang's jokes, though she is also known to show occasional signs of intelligence. In season two, she moves in with Penny after accidentally ruining her apartment with smoke damage. She often eats a lot, sometimes surprising the gang, even though she keeps in shape. In season three, she moves into a new apartment with Dave as they enter a new phase of their relationship. * Zachary Knighton as David "Dave" Rose Jr. – The self-appointed "cool guy" of the gang, although none of his friends view him as such. Dave is Alex's ex-fiancé, and was left at the altar when Alex had second thoughts. Still trying to figure his life out after the wedding, Dave followed his dreams of quitting his office job and is now self-employed with his own food truck business, "Steak Me Home Tonight." After his break-up with Alex, he lived on Max's couch. In season two, he claims to have moved on from their break-up and still remains friends with Alex while they both attempt to date other people. Dave often goes out of his way to prove he is the "cool guy" of the group, as he is often the butt of his friends' jokes and ridiculed for his fashion choices, such as his love of v-neck shirts. Dave is also known to go overboard with embracing his th Navajo heritage. In season three, Dave and Alex have gotten back together and are trying to make their relationship work again. * Adam Pally as Maximum Herbert "Max" Blum – The gang's freeloading, usually unemployed, and single friend known for his non-stereotypical qualities as a gay man – Max is slovenly, uncultured, lazy and does his best to avoid any responsibility for anything. Penny describes Max as a "straight dude who likes dudes". He became friends with Dave in college and used Penny as a beard while he was still in the closet. He met Brad when they were both on The Real World. He most enjoys sitting around his apartment playing video games, watching sports, and playing mean-spirited pranks on everyone else. Max is openly gay to all his friends, although he only came out to his parents recently, after many years of having Penny pose as his girlfriend when they are in town. Max is fairly casual about relationships, more often settling for brief flings. His most notable relationship was with Grant (James Wolk), but they broke up when Max discovered that Grant would never want children. After Alex and Dave's failed wedding, Max shared his apartment with newly-single Dave until the two reconciled. Max is a minister of a non-denominational Christian church (though he himself is Jewish), licensed to officiate weddings, although he technically was not licensed when he did Brad and Jane's wedding. Max is single and unemployed, but in season two he buys a vintage limousine and attempts to start his own limo driving service, until he blows up his limousine in a prank. * Damon Wayans Jr. as Brad Williams – Jane's husband and best friend of Dave and Max. Brad and Jane first met in college, while appearing on the MTV reality show The Real World based in Sacramento, CA. Despite being a somewhat uptight investment banker during the day, he is generally laid-back and likes to have fun and participate in any crazy adventures the gang gets into, particularly with Max and Dave. Brad and Jane are often overly affectionate towards each other in public, to the point where others are creeped out and they often get banned from public establishments. Brad will often show his effeminate side around Jane, while trying to maintain a more "manly" demeanor around the rest of the gang, though he usually fails. At the end of season two, his department was cut, and he was briefly unemployed. He spent a brief amount of time working as a Bar Mitzvah hype guy alongside Max, then at a children's gym called "Chuckles & Huggs", before he was offered a new business job again. * Casey Wilson as Penelope "Penny" Hartz – The gang's perpetually single friend, who worries she will never find the right guy. Her train wreck dating life is a constant joke among her friends, as she is seen dating someone new every week. Most of her boyfriends do not last for long, as she usually manages to drive them off with her manic behavior. She has known Dave, Alex and Jane since childhood. Max has been her "gay BFF" since college, where they originally dated before realizing he was gay. She has shown occasional interest in Dave after her psychiatrist convinces her that she has unresolved feelings for him. Penny is a successful businesswoman who works in public relations and prides herself on being the most fashionable person in her office. Despite her unlucky love-life, she always tries to stay optimistic, often declaring that it is "The Year of Penny", the year where everything in her life will start to go right. She is known for her unique ways of speaking and pronouncing certain words (such as her favorite phrase, "a-mah-zing") and has a habit of constantly abbreviating words ("abbreevs" as she calls them), much to the annoyance of her friends. Due to her accident-prone nature, she gives herself a concussion and has to shop for a helmet, which leads to her meeting Pete (Nick Zano), her first-ever successful steady boyfriend. After four months of dating, Pete proposed to Penny and she accepted. During a couples' game night however, she called off their engagement when she realized they did not know each other well enough. Her full name is Penelope Aziz Hartz. Recurring * Stephen Guarino as Derrick – The gang's "offensively stereotypical gay" friend, who loves to bring the "D-R-A-M-A!" Max first introduces him to Penny, after she complains that Max is not the gay best friend that she wants him to be. Penny later turns to Derrick to pose as her fake fiancé for a wedding, but the plan fell through when his only way of acting heterosexual was to impersonate Danny Zuko from Grease. He gets married to his boyfriend Eric at the end of season two. * Seth Morris as Scotty – Max's weird, creepy, and slightly psychotic friend. Max will occasionally call him in when he needs a favor, such as attempting to rough-up a coffee shop mascot or pretending to be a tour guide. He is also the new referee/judge at the annual "Rosalita's Run" scavenger hunt. It has been implied that he is stalking Max. * Megan Mullally as Dana Hartz – Penny's super positive and upbeat mother. She has been divorced three times and is a traveling lounge singer. Dana and Penny used to perform as a mother-and-daughter singing duo called "Two Hartz Beat as One". She started dating Dave's father, "Big" Dave, after running into him at Alex and Dave's wedding. * Nick Zano as Pete – Penny's ex-fiancé. They first meet while Penny was shopping for a helmet after getting a concussion. According to Max, he is said to be Penny's first steady boyfriend to last more than her usual 10 days before breaking up. After 4 months of dating, he proposes to Penny, but she later calls off their engagement. * Rob Corddry as Lon "The Car Czar" Sarofsky – Jane's crude boss at the car dealership. Known for his famous "The Car Czar: He Knows What Cars Are" slogan. He briefly dates Penny while temporarily separated from his wife. * Michael McKean as Big Dave – Dave's single father who started dating Dana (Penny's mother) after running into her at Alex and Dave's wedding. * James Wolk as Grant – Max's former boyfriend who comes back into his life in season two when he shows up in Max's limo on Valentine's Day. * Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Chase – Max's former roommate who makes it his mission to ruin Max's life when he least suspects it, after Max accidentally causes him to lose his job and his wife. * Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Daphne Wilson – Penny's annoying childhood friend that she always tries to avoid. * Jon Daly as Brody Daniels – Dave's obnoxious buddy from college who often finds joy in Dave's misfortunes whenever he runs into him. At one point he gets in a "fistbump war" with Max. * Larry Wilmore as Mr. Forristal – Brad's boss who is often unaware that he has food on his face. * Paul Scheer as Avi – Max's creepy kimono wearing neighbor. * Christopher McDonald as Mr. Kerkovich – Alex and Jane's father who has run the family owned mattress business for 20 years. * Julie Hagerty as Mrs. Kerkovich – Alex and Jane's mother. Alex is said to have taken after her mom, while Jane gets her type-A personality from her dad. * Damon Wayans as Francis "Fran" Williams – Brad's dad, who never tells him he loves him, instead they share manly stories about sports, etc.. Brad's dad has a breakthrough allowing him to experience the feeling of expressing love, saying it about everything except his son. Episodes Development and production On January 19, 2010, ABC green-lit the pilot episode, which was written by David Caspe and directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. The show is from production companies Sony Pictures Television, ABC Studios, and executive producer Jamie Tarses' FanFare Productions. Executive producers are Jamie Tarses, Jonathan Groff, and The Russo Brothers. Casting announcements began in February 2010, with Damon Wayans, Jr. first cast as Brad, Jane's husband who does whatever she says. Next to join the series was Casey Wilson as Penny, the group's desperate and single friend. Eliza Coupe and Adam Pally shortly joined that cast, with Coupe playing Jane, Alex's control freak sister who is married to Brad, and Pally playing Max, Dave's close friend and roommate. Elisha Cuthbert later joined the cast as Alex, Dave's ex-fiancé who leaves him at the altar. Zachary Knighton was last actor to be cast as the newly single Dave. The pilot was ordered to series on May 13, 2010, as a mid-season entry in the 2010–11 United States network television schedule. On May 13, 2011, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on September 28, 2011. On October 13, 2011, the show received an additional episode order of 6 scripts from ABC, citing improved ratings for the series On November 3, 2011, ABC picked up the series for a full 22-episode second season. On May 11, 2012, Happy Endings was renewed for a third season of 22 episodes. This season premiered on October 23, 2012, at 9 pm. Edits In the sixth episode of the first season to air, "Of Mice and Jazz-Kwon-Do", Dave refers to the mouse he is trying to catch as "his bin Laden" and then went on to joke that he was referring to "Jessica bin Laden, a super hot Arab girl I went to college with. She was the one that got away". The episode, which was taped prior to the death of Osama bin Laden, aired with ABC muting the final line, and removing the line entirely from online streams of the episode. The episode aired with the line unmuted on City in Canada and is also left intact on the DVD release."Of Mice and Jazz-Kwon-Do", in Happy Endings: The Complete First Season DVD. ABC Studios/FanFare Productions/Sony Pictures Television, 7:37–7:44. The ninth episode of the first season to air, "You've Got Male", originally included a kiss between Max and Ian and was seen among several promotional images released prior to the episode airing. The kiss was ultimately removed from the episode. Before the episode aired, David Caspe explained that the kiss was cut purely as a creative decision and that there had been no pressure from the network to remove any gay content. Attempted continuation On April 3, 2013, it was reported that Sony TV, which produces Happy Endings, had approached a few networks about continuing the series should ABC cancel it the following month, with USA being the most likely to pick up the show. When ABC confirmed that they had canceled the show on May 10, 2013, Sony TV was said to be shopping the show around to other networks, with USA still reported as showing interest. Talks were underway by May 15, 2013, but showed signs of being unsuccessful as on May 16, 2013, the pickup was already labeled "unlikely" as a result of Sony TV and USA being unable to agree on a price. Two weeks later, despite coming to a general agreement regarding financials, it was reported on June 1, 2013, that USA had opted not to pick up the show, with the low ratings during the third season being a factor as it would have required "a large investment in marketing and promotion" to successfully re-launch the show. As of June 14, 2013, Sony TV was still talking to other distributors, with Amazon, Netflix, TBS, and NBC being named. At this point, there was just over two weeks left to finalize a deal as Sony's options on the cast contracts were set to expire on June 30, 2013. By June 27, 2013, there was no serious talks to revive the series on broadcast, cable or streaming networks, as both NBC and TBS had also passed on the show.'Happy Endings' unlikely to return to TV as cast options expire. Digital Spy. Retrieved June 27, 2013. On June 28, 2013, Sony announced that the series had officially ended, citing an inability to find a new home for the show before the expiration of their contracts with the cast as the sole reason behind the decision. Continuation hoax On December 9, 2014, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the show's set still exists despite filming ending on March 16, 2013. On February 6, 2015, the Twitter account of the show's writers room tweeted a link to a timer counting down to exactly 12:00 a.m. CT on April 1, 2015, with the text 'It's almost a new day'. This quickly led to speculation that the series would be revived for a fourth season, as the account also began following the Twitter accounts of Amazon, Netflix, and Yahoo! Screen - though by February 9, 2015, all three had denied having any involvement in a revival, while Sony had simply stated "No comment". The availability of the show's cast was also seen by some as giving credibility to theories of a revival – Eliza Coupe's show Benched was canceled in January 2015, Adam Pally's exit from The Mindy Project was announced in November 2014 with his final episode airing February 3, 2015, and Damon Wayans, Jr.'s departure from New Girl at the end of the fourth season was announced on February 5, 2015. Subsequent tweets made reference to episodes of the show – including Natalie Imbruglia's music video for "Torn" – and also referencing "four seasons" by sharing a music video by The Four Seasons and the co-ordinates for a Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago. Other tweets also referenced "waiting" and "anticipation". In mid-March, cast member Adam Pally stated that "the origin of that 'Happy Endings' countdown clock was not intended to be where it is headed". Two days later Casey Wilson explained that it was a joke by a suspected writers assistant and that she "didn't think it's a welcome joke for everyone. I don't love that someone did that" and also stated that there was nothing moving forward. On April 1, 2015, a tweet confirmed that the entire "new day" countdown had in fact been a 55-day April Fools prank. David Caspe then confirmed the story that Pally and Wilson had told weeks earlier - that a writer or writers assistant with access to the Twitter account had come up with the idea without his knowledge. He did note that after the initial speculation began in early February, the buzz sparked the possibility of an actual reunion but ultimately nothing came of it. Caspe also noted that the cast and writers are all keen for a possible reunion and that he wouldn't be shocked if at some stage in the future something occurred. Episode 401 On July 19, 2016, it was announced that the cast of the show would reunite at Entertainment Weekly's EW PopFest in October 2016 for a live reading of a lost episode of the series.h It was quickly revealed via Twitter that the script would be newly written, and was not actually an unused script from the show. The "episode", titled "Happy to Be Here", reveals that the characters all went their separate ways after a fight between Jane and Brad on the night of Brooke's wedding at the end of the third season. 939 days later (the exact number of days since the final episode aired and the live reading), they all reunite after Alex and Scotty came up with a plan to fake Scotty's death to bring them all back together. Eventually Alex's deception is revealed (as is the fact that Scotty actually killed himself while attempting to fake his death) and Jane and Brad reconcile. In the closing moments of the episode, it is revealed that the entire series was actually a dream Dave was having the night before his wedding to Alex, and after waking her up he inadvertently gives her the idea to leave him at the altar. ''Marry Me'' Marry Me is a sitcom television series created and executive produced by David Caspe that aired on NBC, which premiered on October 14, 2014. It has been implied that both series exist in the same universe. Both shows are set in Chicago and Derrick, a recurring character played by Stephen Guarino, appears on both shows. Three of the original six series regulars on Marry Me – Casey Wilson, Ken Marino and Sarah Wright Olsen – also appeared on Happy Endings, albeit in different roles. John Gemberling, also a series regular, appeared on Happy Endings, however as his character wasn't named — he was merely credited as 'Thief' — it is unclear whether the two characters are considered separate people. In addition, several guest stars on Happy Endings — including Rob Huebel, Nat Faxon and Ryan Hansen — also had guest appearances as different characters on Marry Me. Release Broadcast Season one The first season of the show premiered on ABC on April 13, 2011, and concluded on May 25. The premiere aired at a special time at 9:31 pm after Modern Family and was followed by another episode in the show's regular timeslot at 10 pm. The show was originally set to air a single episode each week that followed, but ABC decided to air a fourth episode immediately after the third episode on April 20, 2011, at 10:30 pm. On April 29, 2011, it was announced that the show would air two episodes a week for three weeks at 10 pm and 10:30 pm beginning May 4, 2011. The season also aired mostly out of the intended broadcast order to make the initial episodes more "stand alone" in an effort to get more people invested in the show. As a result, the episodes "Bo Fight" and "Barefoot Pedaler", which were intended to air as the second and third episodes as they show the events in the weeks after Alex and Dave's wedding, aired as episodes 10 and 11. It was later revealed that the decision to air the episodes out-of-order was ultimately made by ABC. The episodes later appeared in the intended order on the DVD release. The episode "Why Can't You Read Me?" was initially left unaired, however it later aired on August 24, 2011. Season two The second season of the show premiered September 28, 2011, and ended on April 4, 2012. The season saw the show move to the 9:30 pm timeslot, previously occupied by Cougar Town. The show then left the schedule to make room for Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. Despite picking up the show for a full 22-episode second season, the 21st episode to air was labeled as the season finale by ABC as they needed to premiere Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 on April 11, 2012. The episode, titled KickBall 2: The Kickening, later aired on E4 in the UK on May 17, 2012, and also aired in other international markets, despite the episode officially being held until the third season. Additionally, the episode was excluded from the second season DVD. Season three The third season of the show premiered on October 23, 2012, and ended on May 3, 2013. The season saw the show move again, this time to the Tuesday at 9 pm timeslot, where it aired immediately after Dancing with the Stars. The first six episodes of the season aired in Canada on City, two days prior to the American broadcasts airing on ABC.Upfronts: Comedies dominate City's fall schedule | Dose KickBall 2: The Kickening, an episode from season two that previously did not air on ABC, made its debut as part of the third season on ABC and City on January 13, 2013, despite having aired internationally as part of season two. On December 4, 2012, ABC announced that on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, Dancing with the Stars would re-take the Tuesday 9 pm hour, leaving the fate of unaired episodes unclear. On December 21, 2012, ABC announced that new episodes of both Happy Endings and Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 would replace the cancelled drama 666 Park Avenue for three weeks on January 6, January 13, and January 20, while maintaining its current timeslot. Only two of the three scheduled episodes aired in the Sunday timeslot. On January 22, 2013, ABC announced that it had removed Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 from the schedule and would instead air back-to-back Happy Endings concurrently on Tuesdays, but it was removed from the timeslot after episodes 12 and 13 aired. However, on February 13, 2013, ABC announced that, starting March 29, the series would move to Fridays at 8 pm ET/PT with back-to-back original episodes. On April 19, 2013, ABC preempted its primetime programming in favor of coverage of the manhunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, after the Boston Marathon bombing, pushing back the season finale date to May 3, 2013. Online Full episodes of the series were initially available for streaming on both ABC.com and Hulu. While ABC.com removed the show, full episodes still remain available to stream on Hulu and to purchase on digital stores. On February 29, 2012, ABC premiered the first of a six-part webisode series titled Happy Rides, which follows the events from Penny deciding to get rid of her storage space, which leads to her selling her first car. The webisodes were sponsored by Subaru. In 2014, VH1 acquired the syndication rights and made all episodes available online using VH1′s "TV Everywhere" platforms and the VH1 app but this is no longer available. Home media Syndication On December 10, 2013, it was announced that VH1 has acquired all three seasons, with a marathon of all 57 episodes planned for December 31, 2013 and running through New Year's Day. The series initially aired in two-hour blocks every Wednesday, beginning in January 2014. In addition to airing the show, the network licensed rights to showcase episodes of the series online via its "TV Everywhere" platforms and also on the new VH1 App. Beginning August 30, 2014, Logo will also start airing all three seasons, beginning with a marathon on Labor Day weekend. Neither network carries the show anymore. The show aired in Australia in syndication on 111. On January 1, 2016, all three seasons began streaming on Hulu. Reception Critical reception The series was initially criticized, being negatively compared to several similar "relationship sitcoms" that had premiered earlier in the season (all canceled at the end of that season) - Perfect Couples, Mad Love, Traffic Light and Friends with Benefits. The series also drew comparisons from the hit 1990s sitcom Friends. However, as the season progressed, the reviews from critics became much warmer - with some admitting that it had grown on them and that it had improved since the pilot. Happy Endings was the second "relationship sitcom" of the season that was renewed for a second season, second to CBS' Mike & Molly. BuddyTV ranked Happy Endings #7 on its list of 2011's best new TV shows. The second season of Happy Endings received widespread critical acclaim, landing on multiple "Best of Year" lists; The New York Magazine, The A.V. Club, Hulu, the Associated Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Yahoo!TV all included the series in lists of the top television programs of 2011. The third season of Happy Endings continued to receive critical acclaim. Verne Gay of Newsday said that "Happy Endings, cast and all, has now officially jelled. The show exists on the same cosmic (and comic) TV plane as "Scrubs," "Arrested Development" and that other late bloomer, "Cougar Town." Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post stated that "Happy Endings has so many things going for it that the occasional weak story line or meh scene is not a big deal at all. It's one of the sharpest and warm-hearted comedies on the air, and I enjoy it a lot more than Modern Family..." At the end of the third season, with the show facing possible cancellation due to low ratings, Rolling Stone declared that Happy Endings was "the most underrated, under-watched series on TV, that may also be the funniest", and went on to say "Despite flying under the radar, Happy Endings has stayed afloat for three seasons by earning both critical acclaim and a devoted fan following. Blending comedic elements of Friends, Arrested Development, and 30 Rock, it manages to serve up something new and refreshing by being both consumed by and annoyed with the frenetic world we live in. It's biting, but easy to swallow – social commentary at its best." Awards and nominations U.S. ratings International broadcasts Notes References External links * Category:2011 American television series debuts Category:2013 American television series endings Category:2010s American single-camera sitcoms Category:2010s American sitcoms Category:2010s American LGBT-related comedy television series Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows Category:Casual sex in television Category:English-language television programs Category:Gay-related television programs Category:Television series by ABC Studios Category:Television series by Sony Pictures Television Category:Television shows set in Chicago Category:American LGBT-related sitcoms Category:Television series scored by Ludwig Göransson